Daughter of reknown afro-cuban percussionist Mario Del Monte Jr, Glenda del Monte-Escalante -Glenda Del E- is a Cuban singer and pianist now based in Canada. Glenda makes her Miami debut this Saturday.  The performance will be a fusion of afro-cuban jazz, soul, r&b, funk and tropical rhythms. 

SATURDAY JULY 9 2011
9pm at the Van Dyke Café
846 Lincoln Road
Miami Beach, Florida, 33139
(305)-534-3600

Performing Musicians:
Glenda del E - piano
Mario del Monte Jr - drums
Mireya Escalante - vocals
Nestor del Prado - bass
Aaron Lebos - guitar
Mauricio del Monte - trumpet

Come check out this afro-cuban family affair

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continue reading Pa' Ponerte en Talla

Hey Midwesterners - need a break from government shutdowns, union-busting and homicidal supreme court justices? Maraca's new timba band will be in MN, WI and IL on the 6th, 9th and 10th - then on to Indiana, Detroit and South Dakota before arriving at SOBs in NY. Here's the full tour schedule - Bill Tilford's review of the new CD/DVD - and Tom Ehrlich's extensive photo gallery from the SF leg of the tour.

If he used both hands it just wouldn't be fair.

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continue reading La Última

In the United States, we sometimes get too fixated upon labels and boundaries when discussing music, partilcularly when it comes to Jazz and Classical; some Americans like to entertain the notion that the two disciplines rarely mix well, and consequently, when strings (other than solo violin) are incorporated into Jazz recordings here, the results are sometimes met with suspicion by casual listeners and critics alike who fear, rationally or not, that the session is a cynical attempt to crack the "easy listening" market.
     Cuban musicians aren't confronted with that issue, at least not to the same degree.  Even in the middle of the last century, Cachao, a key figure in the development of the Mambo as well as the art of the descarga, had a dual career as a classical bassist, and most if not all of the younger generation of Cuban jazz artists has been classically trained as well.  No sane listener would accuse the best of them of a failure to swing as a consequence of their familiarity with classical idioms.
     This brings us to Maraca's latest Jazz recording, Reencuentros , which was recorded live at the Grand Theater of Havana  with a specially-assembled, international all-star cast of jazz musicians including: ...read the full review here

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continue reading Sin Clave No Hay Na

Pedrito Calvo Jr. & Su Orquesta

Pedrito Calvo Jr. has literally spent his life among Havana's musical elite. In addition to his academic music training, he has witnessed firsthand the life and work of one of Cuba's most poular and charismatic singers, his father Pedrito Calvo, ex-Van Van lead singer and now director of Pedrito Calvo y La Justicia. In 2009 after a 13-year career during which he shared the stage with musicians such as Ibrahim Ferrer, Omara Portuondo, Pio Leyva, Los Van Van, Amadito Valdés and Barbarito Torres, PC Jr. formed his own orchestra, based in Italy. In 2 short years the band has released a number of singles as well as the album Mi Fiesta Latina . They have also performed in France, Germany, Italy, Slovakia, Slovenia, Mexico, Venezuela, Poland, Denmark, Austria and in Cuba. For more infomation about the band including photos and videos, check out the new Timba.com section for Pedrito Calvo Jr y Su Orquesta .

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